Productivity AutomationVerified

Reviewed and published by trentmaziarz, April 21, 2026. Discovered and drafted by our automated research pipeline.

Chipotle tested an automated food assembly system called the 'Augmented Makeline,' developed with Hyphen, in a Corona del Mar, California restaurant starting September 2024. The system automatically dispenses ingredients to build bowls and salads for digital orders, while human crew members simultaneously assemble burritos, tacos, and other items on a parallel line.

Details

The Augmented Makeline was co-developed with Hyphen, a foodservice automation company funded through Chipotle's Cultivate Next venture fund. The system is designed to handle digital orders for bowls and salads, which represent approximately 65% of Chipotle's digital orders. It can assemble up to 180 bowls per hour and uses AI-driven dynamic portioning to ensure ingredient consistency. As of 2025, the automated makeline was undergoing further refinement before broader deployment, per Chipotle's Q2 2025 earnings call.

Products affected

Augmented MakelineDigital order fulfillment

Sources & Evidence

Company Disclosure

Company DisclosureVerified

CHIPOTLE DEBUTS AUTOCADO AND THE AUGMENTED MAKELINE BY HYPHEN IN RESTAURANTS

Chipotle Mexican Grill Newsroom·Sep 2024

https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2024-09-16-CHIPOTLE-DEBUTS-AUTOCADO-AND-THE-AUGMENTED-MAKELINE-BY-HYPHEN-IN-RESTAURANTS

News Article

Chipotle unveils team of robots to make your food

Fortune·Sep 2024

https://fortune.com/2024/09/16/chipotle-portion-size-automation-autocado-robot-guacamole-assembly/

News Article

Chipotle pilots in-store robots that help with kitchen prep work

Chain Store Age·Sep 2024

https://chainstoreage.com/chipotle-pilots-store-robots-help-kitchen-prep-work

Cite this record

Trace Foundation. (2026). Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle tested an automated food assembly system called the 'Augmented Makeline,' developed with Hyphen, in a Corona del Mar, California restaurant starting September 2024. The system automatically dispenses ingredients to build bowls and salads for digital orders, while human crew members simultaneously assemble burritos, tacos, and other items on a parallel line (data as of 2026-04-21) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/1953a3ab-ac89-44cc-bf2c-a866bc6f23ef. Accessed September 11, 2026.

Stable link: https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/1953a3ab-ac89-44cc-bf2c-a866bc6f23ef
Data as of: April 21, 2026
Last verified: April 21, 2026

How to cite AI Trace

Other practices by Chipotle Mexican Grill

Data AnalysisChipotle uses H2O Driverless AI, a machine learning platform, to run daily restaurant-level demand forecasts that inform labor scheduling, supply chain purchasing, and food preparation planning across its entire restaurant network. The system ingests weather patterns, local event data, and historical sales information to predict how much of each menu item each restaurant will need.ProductivityChipotle deployed an AI-powered hiring platform called 'Ava Cado,' built on Paradox's conversational AI technology, across all 3,500+ restaurant locations in North America and Europe starting October 2024. The system handles candidate screening, collects basic applicant information, schedules interviews, and sends job offers, reducing the average time from application to hire from 12 days to 4 days.ProductivityChipotle tested a collaborative robot called 'Autocado,' developed with Vebu Labs, in a Huntington Beach, California restaurant starting September 2024. The robot cuts, cores, and peels avocados in approximately 26 seconds per fruit before crew members hand-mash them into guacamole.

Have evidence about Chipotle Mexican Grill's AI practices? Submit a report.

Report a Sighting →